Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Monday, March 11, 2013

The Outer Space Connection - Part Two

For a while I was home schooled by my mother. My courses came through the Calvert School. Established in 1905. In the 1950s when I was taking the courses (according to their website) they were shipping out 85 TONS of material. It included everything from books to paper to pencils.

Between 1960 and 1962 I was privately tutored by a wonderful artist named Paula Brown. There were eight of us under her tutilage. Every morning we "fought" over who would carry the American flag, attached to a small pole, at put it up. Then we'd stand around and say the Pledge of Allegiance, after which we'd troop back into the house and begin school

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John Glenn
On February 20th, 1962, Mrs. Brown spread blankets out under a tamarind tree and brought out a portable radio. Our lesson that day was listening to the launch and return of the first man to orbit the earth. His name was John Glenn. Every once in a while we older ones would look up into the clear blue sky hoping to see that tiny orbiting craft. We chewed our nails as we waited to hear of his safe return to earth. When we learned about his fiery reentry we were amazed that he'd survived.




I'll never forget seeing the National Geographic cover depicting what it might have looked like. You can see it HERE.

On July 20th, 1969 a group of friends and I crowded around a small black and white TV and watched the first moon landing.
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The first moon landing

In April of 1970 my family listened intently to the radio as the reports came in on the Apollo 13 disaster. It was the most successful failure in NASA's history.

Those were some exciting times and I can thank my father for giving me an outer space connection, for helping me to become aware of our tiny planet and its insignificant place within the universe.

When did you discover how BIG space is and how small Earth is in relationship to it? Do you think about it at all? Do you think it's important to go back to the moon, to Mars? 


11 comments:

  1. I was only three, but I do remember watching when they landed on the moon.

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  2. It was a cool thing to witness.
    I think it really hit me when we lived in Arizona. That desert night sky goes on forever.

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  3. I had just graduated from HS when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. It was a magical moment for me.

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  4. That was such an amazing time, wasn't it? I'm always in awe of what that generation accomplished in space exploration.

    I still can't wrap my head around how big "out there" is.

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  5. Though I was alive at the time, I don't remember the Moon landing.

    I'm not sure when I realised how small and insignificant Earth is, but I'm pretty certain it came about through reading SF.

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  6. I remember the moon landing, I was fascinated then and I'm still fascinated now. Interesting post.

    If you would like to pop over to my blog sometime there is a blog award waiting for you and there are no rules attached : ) Barbara marchhousebookscom.blogspot.co.uk/

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  7. I continue to be amazed by the advances we've made in terms of space travel. Yup, the earth really does seem small when you look at it from the perspective of all that's around us.

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  8. A monumental time in history.

    Bish, this is so weird. I don't know why, but you aren't on my blog roll thingy. Last night I thought about you and tried to find your comment of the past because it's been a while since I saw your blog. I was so tired and couldn't find it. Just a few minutes ago, I was going to try again but I checked my comments first, and there you were. Now I think that is a little woo woo, woo woo, don't you? You are going on my blog roll right now.

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  9. I love space. I like the mystery of it. I wasn't quite around yet for the moon landing, but my husband works for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory so I consider myself happy!

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  10. What a cool post! I love that you had such amazing exerpiences to help you connect to space.

    I have always been fascinated by the night sky and space travel. I would love to visit another planet and to see Earth from the moon. There is so much to be explored!

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Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!